The Giant and the Cat
by Nittedhat
Summary: An unlikely friendship.


"But, ye can't! Ye can't chuck me out!"  
The circular office was shaken with the voice of the thirteen year old, whom despite his young age, surpassed both Seventh years and most of the teachers in height. Armando Dippet swirled a quill between his fingers, nervously.  
"Rubeus, the circumstances are dreadful! A girl, dead, you found with that… That… Thing hidden… You must understand how this-"  
"Aragog wouldn' hurt anyone!"  
The boy did a huge imploring gesture, knocking on of Professor Dippet's lamps aside, and hadn't it been for the fact that the elderly man lunged forward and caught it, it would have smashed into a thousand pieces. Flustered, with his hat askew on top of his close to bald head and the lamp in his hand, Dippet straightened himself once more. Looking at the youngster with a weary, watery stare, he sighed.  
It really was a shame. Rubeus Hagrid might not have been the smartest of students, but he was most certainly the kindest. To think that something like this would have happened because of him… Even if it must be so that the monster was outside of his control, it was still very unfortunate.  
"Now listen her Mr Hagrid. I understand that you would think that, but you have to understand! A girl was killed!"  
Rubeus stopped in the middle of another wild gesture, which came dangerously close to one of Dippets singing snuffboxes, his hands sinking to his sides. Sitting down into a chair, enchanted to not to give way due to his size, behind him, he looked unto Professor Dippet with his dark eyes wet with tears. Dippet would have gladly payed the price of a smashed snuffbox rather than the tears falling down the round cheeks of the thirteen year old boy, easily mistaken for a childish large man.  
"Aye.. I… I know."  
His voice shook as he started twiddling his thumbs in his lap. Dibbet looked at him, and sighed. It was not the first time he had had Rubeus in his office. The time with the troll-wrestling, the werewolf cubs, that had been particularly fun, those strange eggs they had found in his socks. But this reminded him of the last time he had felt this uncomfortable with this student. Just one year before, if that, he had sat in this very spot, to tell Hagrid that his father had passed away. He was now reminded of this as Hagrid sobbed quietly into his hands. Dippet swallowed and put the lamp on the floor beside him, out of the boy's reach. Scolding he could do. It wasn't hard to be angry. It was, however, hard to be angry at a student, when they hadn't meant to commit such a horrible crime as murder. The dark hairs on Hagrid's head bobbed as he drew shuddering breath, and began sobbing once more. Stuttering with shivering voice, Dippet heard him speak from behind his large palms.  
"I'm.. I'm so sorry.. I never ment ter.. I never thought… I just don' want ter go away.. Where can I go? I'm so sorry Professer.."  
If the door to his office had not opened at this point Dippet might have fainted out of sheer awkwardness. As it was, the door did open. Looking up he saw the Transfiguration Teacher entering the room, looking down at Hagrid, the whole time as he entered, even though he addressed Dippet.  
"Headmaster. I see you started without me."  
Dippey suddenly flushed, straightening a little in his chair.  
"Now Professor Dumbledore, I am Headmaster and I saw it fit to start the meeting whenever I felt like it, and-"  
"Very well. Hagrid."  
Hagrid didn't look up from his palms. The sobbing continued, filling the room. The portraits on the wall stayed oddly silent. Perhaps they knew that this was not a time for them to speak. The living weren't seeking guidance today.  
"Hagrid. Would you raise your head? Please?"  
Hagrid lifted his head slowly and glanced up at Dumbledore with bloodshot eyes.  
"Professer,I'm.."  
"I know Hagrid."  
Dumbledore's calm voice seemed to only enhance Hagrids guilt and he started weeping sincerely know. Almost falling to the floor he bent forward over the desk and grasped his own hair.  
"I didn' mean for her ter die! I didn' wanna hurt anyone!"  
Dumbledore kept looking at him calmly, but Dippet thought, just for a second, that he saw a trace of sadness behind the halfmoon-shaped spectacles.  
"I know Hagrid. It is very clear to me that you would never hurt anyone. And I think it is clear to everyone else aswell."  
This was the first time that he looked at Dippet, who felt himself flush once more, something he did a lot around the Transfiguration Master with such excellent reputation it seemed. His mother whispered in his ear something about "wand-envy", but he shook his head.  
"Now Dumbledore, let's not get carried away-"  
"Yes, let's not."  
Dumbledore sat down beside Hagrid and put a hand on Hagrid. He didn't look up, but his shoulders stopped shaking considerably. Looking at Dippet Dumbledore stroke his beard softly.  
"Now, Headmaster. I think we need to consider all circumstances before we come to a decision. Can we, in good conscience, throw Hagrid out?"  
Armando simply stared. The question seemed to hang before him in the air a couple of second before sinking into his mind. Then he once again shook his head and stuttered, irritably;  
"Yes! If you say that-th-th-that killing a student isn't enough to get you expelled then I don't know what-"  
Dumbledore put up his hand and to his own annoyance Dippet felt his mouth grow silent.  
"I said nothing about him not being expelled. That is, unfortunately, unavoidable. But we don't have to throw him out. Hagrid has got nowhere to go. His father's death has left him without a home. He is thirtheen years old and has no chance of gaining income in the wizarding world after this. I'm sorry that I have to be harsh, but forcing Hagrid to leave the castle could be considered as sending him to his death."  
The circular room echoed silent. The portraits looked at one another, one or two even passed between the frames to whisper in shocked voices, but nobody spoke. Dippet straightened up in his chair, correcting his hat which had slid off again.  
"So… What do you suggest?"  
Merlin if he didn't have to grit his teeth with every word. He was right. Of course he was right. But still there was a sour taste in his mouth at asking Dumbledore for advice in front of the still sobbing student.  
Dumbledore showed no sign of having won, even though Dibbet was fully certain that he knew he had, and put his slender fingers together.  
"Well, we are in need of a gamekeeper."  
Dippey raised a white eyebrow.  
"He is thirteen years old Dumbledore."  
"Yes, and growing up where he did, helping his father, I'd say that under the tutorage if Professor Kettleburn Hagrid will make an excellent gamekeeper."  
Silence fell again.  
"Fine! Fine then! He can stay!"  
Dippet did an extravagant handgesture, knocking over his lamp, and breaking it. While he swore, and bent down to pick up the pieces, Dumbledore smiled at Hagrid, who was now looking up at him.  
"I'm… I'm not kicked out?"  
As Dumbledore nodded, Hagrid stood up and gave the elder wizard a tight hug, so tight that he was lifted off the floor. Trying to draw breath as his feet once more touched the ground, Dumbledore gave Hagrid a reproachful look.  
"Let's just make sure that my trust in you is not misplaced Hagrid."  
"It's not sir! Ye can trust me with yer life!"


End file.
